Hey y'all, I'm Danielle - the crazy behind this blog, where I share my creative life adventures as I survive life as a momma of 4 superheroes & wife to my best friend & fellow nerd. Life doesn't have to be perfect to be GREAT! You can reach me at danielle (at) busymomshelper.com - ABOUT -

Have I ever told you that I love finances? Weird, I know – but I actually ENJOY working on a budget, figuring out plans for reaching our goals, and playing with the numbers. What makes it even more fun is finding easy ways to cut your budget!

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Hubby and I made a lot of financially unwise choices at the beginning of our marriage, and had kids early while still in college which assisted us making even MORE bad money choices. Years later, we’re now making the right money decisions, and slowly making progress to dig out of the whole we put ourselves in. One of the best ways we’re doing that is by lowering our budget – leaving more money free to save, pay off debt, and use towards our goals. Here’s a bunch of wonderful ideas on how to save money, lower your expenses, and make progress towards YOUR financial goals!

Buy produce when it’s in season, then freeze it for later in the year when it’s more expensive

Generic is USUALLY cheapest

#3: Free or Cheap Entertainment

Skip the gym membership – but still stay healthy and strong by working out at home, at your neighborhood park, or running with a friend. Zumba DVDs or Xbox Game are my personal favorite!

Date night doesn’t have to cost a ton – there’s plenty of free date night ideas you can search for that are just as fun as an expensive place, if not more so!

Instead of going out to a movie, see if Netflix or Hulu or Redbox have a great one you haven’t seen

Search for local museums or places that have a discounted/free day

#4: Shopping for Less & Random Expenses

Amazon Prime is one way I save tons – by ordering stuff online (for the same or cheaper than in-store) I save gas money, time AND don’t get tempted by other things while at the store

Groupon (or other similar places) can help you save about 50% or more on things from pilates class, restaurants, movies and even hair services

Go through your closet – do you REALLY need a new shirt? If so, still try to save money and shop at consignment or hand-me down type stores

Are you spending a fortune on credit card interest fees? Call to see if you can lower it, especially if you’ve made regular on-time payments. If they won’t, try to find a card with a lower rate/annual fee and look into doing a balance transfer

Don’t buy things JUST because they’re on sale!

For big purchases, don’t rush – give yourself a 24-48 hour MANDATORY WINDOW to think it over. You’ll be surprise how many things I realized I shouldn’t/couldn’t/didn’t really want to buy after taking time to consider it

Learn to do some basic repairs yourself instead of hiring out the work

When you DO need to hire out work, shop around for rates and be sure to get references

#5: Insurance

Compare companies/agents – and often! What was once the best/cheapest plan for you may now be more expensive than others

Don’t be afraid to call and ask for a lower rate, especially if you haven’t had many claims

Don’t hesitate to protest your property taxes if you think they’re too high

#6: Increase your Income

I’m not going to list the zillion things people say you can do to increase your income – you can search on Google or Pinterest for those and find plenty 🙂 For me, this blog has helped to increase our income and is helping us work toward the goal of Nerd Dad working from home – our dream!